Two-Form Adjectives (-e, Consonant Endings) | Spanish (Latin America) Grammar

Not every Spanish adjective has four forms. Adjectives that end in -e or in most consonants only change for number (singular/plural), not gender. These are two-form adjectives.

Adjectives Ending in -e

When an adjective ends in -e, the same form is used for both masculine and feminine nouns. Only the plural changes.

Singular	Plural	Meaning
grande	grandes	big
verde	verdes	green
inteligente	inteligentes	intelligent
interesante	interesantes	interesting
amable	amables	kind
fuerte	fuertes	strong
pobre	pobres	poor
triste	tristes	sad

Es un problema grande.

It's a big problem.

Es una casa grande.

It's a big house.

Notice grande is identical whether the noun is masculine or feminine. Only the plural (grandes) changes.

Tengo unos amigos inteligentes.

I have (some) intelligent friends.

Adjectives Ending in a Consonant

Most adjectives that end in a consonant also have just two forms — one singular and one plural. To form the plural, add -es.

Singular	Plural	Meaning
fácil	fáciles	easy
difícil	difíciles	hard
joven	jóvenes	young
feliz	felices	happy
cortés	corteses	polite

Notice two spelling details:

joven → jóvenes: an accent is added on the o to keep the stress in the same place
feliz → felices: the z changes to c before e

El examen fue fácil.

The exam was easy.

Las preguntas fueron fáciles.

The questions were easy.

Two Important Exceptions

Some consonant-ending adjectives do have a separate feminine form. These are the ones to watch out for.

Nationality adjectives ending in a consonant

Add -a for feminine:

español → española
francés → francesa
alemán → alemana
inglés → inglesa

Notice how the written accent disappears in the feminine and plural forms because the stress is already on the correct syllable. See Nationality Adjectives for the full treatment.

Tengo un amigo español y una amiga española.

I have a Spanish (male) friend and a Spanish (female) friend.

Adjectives ending in -or

Also add -a for feminine:

trabajador → trabajadora (hardworking)
hablador → habladora (talkative)
encantador → encantadora (charming)

Exceptions include the comparative forms mejor, peor, mayor, menor, and superior/inferior, which stay the same for both genders.

Es una estudiante trabajadora.

She is a hardworking student.

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If you're not sure whether an adjective adds -a for the feminine, ask yourself two questions: Is it a nationality? Does it end in -or? If yes to either, it probably adds -a. Otherwise, treat it as two-form.

Quick Summary

Ending	Pattern	Example
-e	singular / -es plural	grande / grandes
Consonant	singular / -es plural	fácil / fáciles
-or (not comparative)	four forms (adds -a)	trabajador/-a/-es/-as
Nationality (consonant)	four forms (adds -a)	español/-a/-es/-as

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When making any adjective plural, remember the general rule: ends in a vowel → add -s; ends in a consonant → add -es. This applies to both four-form and two-form adjectives.